‘Modi Regime Is An Undeclared Emergency’

On Tuesday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh targeted the Centre after senior journalist Prabir Purkayastha was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Ramesh said that the Modi regime had imposed an undeclared Emergency since 2014 and it has been getting worse as it fears a loss in the 2024 elections.

“Gyan Prakash, the eminent historian at Princeton has written a deeply researched account of the 1975-77 period called Emergency Chronicles. One such hero of the resistance that Dr. Prakash describes in great detail is Prabir Purkayastha who later became an expert on energy policy,” Ramesh wrote in a post on X. He is the Congress General Secretary in-charge of communication.

“Today, the very same Prabir Purkayastha, along with many others, stands arrested by the Modi regime, which has imposed an undeclared Emergency since 2014, that has been getting worse as it fears a loss in the 2024 elections,” Ramesh added.

The Special Cell of the Delhi Police said on Tuesday that it has arrested NewsClick founder Purkayastha and HR head Amit Chakravarty. The Delhi Police team has also sealed the office of NewsClick in New Delhi.

Meanwhile, opposition parties have dubbed the searches at the premises of NewsClick as a crackdown on press freedom and slammed the government over it.

The Editors’ Guild of India (EGI) has exhorted the Centre to follow due process and refrain from making draconian criminal laws “as tools for press intimidation.”

In a statement, the EGI said, “EGI is concerned that these raids are yet another attempt to muzzle the media. While we recognise that the law must take its course if actual offences are involved, the due process has to be followed. The investigation of specific offences must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of draconian laws, or impinge on the freedom of expression and the raising of dissenting and critical voices.”

Given here is the full statement by the Executive Committee of the Editors Guild of India:

The Editors Guild of India is deeply concerned about the raids at the residences of senior journalists early this morning (October 3, 2023).

Their laptops, mobile phones and other devices have been seized. Senior journalists have been taken into custody by the Delhi Police, allegedly for ‘questioning.’ Media reports suggest that the raids have been widespread.

The raids are reportedly being conducted in connection with an FIR filed under the draconian UAPA and laws relating to criminal conspiracy and disruption of communal harmony against journalists, including those associated with the website Newsclick.in.

EGI is concerned that these raids are yet another attempt to muzzle the media. While we recognise that the law must take its course if actual offences are involved, the due process has to be followed. The investigation of specific offences must not create a general atmosphere of intimidation under the shadow of draconian laws, or impinge on the freedom of expression and the raising of dissenting and critical voices.

We remind the government of the importance of an independent media in a functioning democracy, and urge it to ensure that the fourth pillar is respected, nurtured and protected.

Sincerely,

Executive Committee, Editors Guild of India